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DEMS PLAN RECESS CLIMATE PUSH: The White House, congressional Democrats and their allies are plotting an August recess offensive to promote President Barack Obama’s climate change plan and head off Republican opposition. The full-court press shows that liberals have learned the lessons from past August congressional recesses, when Republicans, aided by the tea party, out-organized Democrats and managed to demonize cap-and-trade and blame them for high gas prices. Andrew Restuccia has details: http://politico.pro/16b9PML

YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST: Things kick off soon. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy will make her first public appearance since her swearing in at 11 a.m. Tuesday, delivering a speech at Harvard Law School in an event co-hosted by the school’s Environmental Law Program.

FIRE RAGES AT GULF NAT GAS LEAK: The offshore drilling rig leaking natural gas continues to burn in the Gulf of Mexico — and an equipment failure means it could be nearly a month before the well is plugged. The Washington Post has more on the prognosis: “The Coast Guard said that portions of the rig had ‘folded’ and collapsed and that firefighters were trying to protect the legs of the rig, which was standing in about 150 feet of water. … Sources close to the company said workers attempted to close the blowout preventer, but that failed to stem the gas leak. … The Coast Guard said the blowout preventer has now collapsed and there was little chance of plugging the well. Another Hercules rig could arrive by Friday to drill a separate relief well, which would take about 25 days to reach a point in the well where it could cut off the flow of gas.” WaPo: http://wapo.st/1biQuAa

— NPR notes that a natural gas spill isn't the same as an oil spill, like BP's 2010 disaster-but that a lot of the details about the leak, including where it is, exactly, are still unknown. More: http://n.pr/135Tt9O.

NARUC HITS FERC OVER PARTS OF ORDER 1000: The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners approved nine resolutions yesterday afternoon at its summer meeting in Denver, including one admonishing FERC over portions of its transmission planning and cost allocation Order 1000. It's usually difficult to get NARUC's membership to agree on big issues, but yesterday’s resolution crystallized its membership’s concerns that Order 1000 “inappropriately infringes” on states’ authority over the electric grid. NARUC also approved a resolution urging FERC to rein in its use of PURPA, which requires utilities to purchase power from small generators, in part because the agency has used it against state commissions. Another resolution opposed any new tax on utilities to feed DOE’s decommissioning and decontamination fund for nuclear defense cleanup. The approved resolutions: http://bit.ly/1bOLaE4

FLOOR WATCH: The House today is expected to take up and pass H.R. 2218, Rep. David McKinley’s coal ash bill. The Rules Committee OK’d three Democratic amendments the chamber must debate first. The White House earlier this week outlined concerns about some provisions in the bill, but didn’t threaten a veto. If you need a refresher, Erica Martinson earlier this week outlined the amendments: http://politico.pro/12KbJSx

LAWMAKERS BORROW FROM CEA LETTER ON KEYSTONE: BusinessWeek flags letters from at least five Republican lawmakers to the State Department about the Keystone XL pipeline, all of which were based on correspondence drafted by the Consumer Energy Alliance. It’s worth noting that it’s not an unusual practice in Washington — BW notes that many comments State received from environmentalists were a form letter. More: “The letters themselves don’t indicate any connection with the Consumer Energy Alliance. Some vary from the format more than others. … R.C. Hammond, a Consumer Energy Alliance spokesman, said the group sent the letters to dozens of lawmakers to show support for Keystone as the State Department seeks reaction to its draft analysis.” BusinessWeek: http://buswk.co/15gNlLw

REFINERS FLY IN TO OPPOSE RFS: The Energy and Commerce Committee’s two-day forum on the Renewable Fuel Standard may be over, but never fear; foes of the mandate are hitting up the Hill today to keep pressing for repeal. Among the industry bigwigs meeting with House and Senate leadership and E&C and Agriculture Committee leaders: American Petroleum Institute chief Jack Gerard, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers President Charles Drevna, Valero Energy Corp. President and COO Joe Gorder, Marathon Petroleum President and CEO Gary Heminger, Tesoro President and CEO Greg Goff, Chevron Americas Products President Dale Walsh, ExxonMobil Refining & Supply President Darren Woods and PBF Energy CEO Tom Nimbley.

Reading materials: They’ll be bringing along research from the Energy Policy Research Foundation that concludes the RFS will drive up gasoline prices in 2014: http://bit.ly/1b9lWAG. They’ll also have a study conducted by NERA Economic Consulting for API that concluded the RFS will cause a $770 billion decrease in the U.S.'s GDP, a 30 percent rise in gasoline costs and a 300 percent rise in diesel costs: http://bit.ly/12dJD2k

SPEAKING OF THE RFS: Yesterday was probably the first time Environmental Working Group’s Scott Faber has been accused of being an oil industry shill. Pro-ethanol group Growth Energy blasted Faber and the environmental advocacy group for “cooking the books for Big Oil” for testifying before the E&C panel that the RFS wasn’t as clean as proponents say it is. Talia Buford was on the scene: http://politico.pro/1dWaRzh

NAVY TO GO OVER NAVY ENERGY NOMINEE: The Senate Armed Services Committee today is set to grill Dennis McGinn — a retired vice admiral who is now president of the American Council on Renewable Energy — for the nomination of assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and the environment. The job is a key post in deploying the Pentagon’s green agenda, particularly the Navy’s push to develop and bring down the cost of advanced biofuels. Congressional Republicans haven’t been happy with the military’s green spending, so watch for SASC ranking member Jim Inhofe (who last year compared the military’s green efforts to Solyndra: http://bit.ly/Oc0VHy) to bring some fire to his questions. Lawmakers will also consider three other DOD nominations. Hearing info: http://1.usa.gov/15zbziQ. Hart 216

** A message from America’s Natural Gas Alliance: A Cleaner Commute for LA. Los Angeles is known for its traffic, congestion and smog. But by switching to natural gas, LA’s entire bus fleet now runs 80% cleaner. Think About It. www.thinkaboutit.org **

SPEAKING OF NOMINATIONS: Former long-time Senate Energy and Natural Resources Democratic staff director Bob Simon has been nominated for a position among the White House’s science advisers. Simon, a chemist, has been tapped to be associate director for energy and environment at the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

TVA IG HITS QUALITY ASSURANCE OVERSIGHT: The quality assurance program for the Tennessee Valley Authority’s work on its Watts Bar nuclear power project lacked oversight between 2008 and 2012, according to an inspector general report yesterday. The NRC levied a $70,000 fine against TVA last month for the construction violations, including a failure to report the gaps in the quality assurance program. The Knoxville News has more: http://bit.ly/16aCtgR. The IG’s five-page report: http://1.usa.gov/18AoYcX

FROM ME’S MAILBAG: Several environmental and green groups are pressing lawmakers to reject a forthcoming amendment from Sen. John Hoeven to the Shaheen-Portman bill the Senate is set to consider next week that would repeal Section 433, of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act. That provision sets carbon emissions reduction targets for new federal buildings. The groups instead recommend supporting an amendment from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse tweaking the provision's language. Letter: http://politico.pro/1biK4Rv

TODAY IN NEW LEGISLATION

Natural gas vehicles: Sen. Jim Inhofe has introduced S. 1355, which would remove a cap on CAFE-related credits for producing dual-fuel natural gas vehicles. “My bill would ensure NGVs are given equal treatment with electric vehicles,” said Inhofe. The bill is backed by Sens. Text: http://1.usa.gov/15JWj2E

Cruise ships: Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has introduced legislation extending the Clean Water Act to apply to wastewater discharged into U.S. waters by cruise ships. Durbin has pushed similar legislation in previous congresses. Bill text: http://politico.pro/145nC4p

QUICK HITS

— China and the EU are close to a deal to avert punitive tariffs on Chinese solar panels, sources tell Reuters: http://reut.rs/13delIq

— A Louisiana agency has filed a lawsuit against dozens of energy companies over what it says are decades of damage to coastal wetlands. New York Times: http://nyti.ms/166WViG

— A group of West Virginia Democrats will be in Washington Aug. 1 to meet with EPA and Obama administration officials on EPA's coal regulations. State Journal: http://bit.ly/143Fow6

— Rep. Rush Holt is defending a claim made in a campaign ad that "millions will die" is climate change isn't addressed. Star-Ledger: http://bit.ly/1bho4q4

** A message from America’s Natural Gas Alliance: Every day, America needs affordable and reliable energy that’s safely produced. But how often do we take a moment to stop and consider where exactly this energy comes from?

One source is abundant, American natural gas. It’s used to generate power, fuel our transportation needs, and serves as a critical building block in American manufacturing. Through each of these uses, natural gas is reducing emissions, saving money and creating jobs.